Dudunsparce

Naoki carefully took the letter from Pidgeot's claws, noticing the colorful crayon patterns that covered the white letter paper. The drawings depicted a scene with a Pokémon that had two large pincers, a vast blue sea, a lighthouse by the shore, and an orange Dragonite soaring through the sky beneath the moon. At the bottom of the letter, two small and adorable paw prints had been added.

"Hmm?" Naoki studied the unfamiliar Pokémon in the drawing.

"Could it be a Kingler?" he wondered aloud. The Kingler on the beach, combined with the serene moonlit sky, seemed like a scene Mew and Teddiursa might have thought was beautiful, so they shared it through their drawing.

As for the orange Dragonite, Naoki didn't dwell on it too much. He simply assumed that Mew and Teddiursa had encountered a wild Dragonite on their travels.

After admiring the picture, Naoki folded the letter and tucked it away. He then gently stopped Pidgeot from flying off and asked Cyclizar to fetch a box of Poké Puffs as a reward.

The moment Pidgeot caught the scent of the Poké Puffs, its previously neutral expression transformed into one of joy.

"Pidgeoo!" it chirped happily, its eyes lighting up.

Seeing the pleased expression on Pidgeot's face, Naoki smiled and asked, "By the way, Pidgeot, do you think you could still find Mew and Teddiursa?"

Naoki wanted to send the two adventurers some food as a gesture of thanks.

Hearing this, Pidgeot tilted its head thoughtfully, looking a little unsure. It let out a soft cry to indicate that it wasn't entirely certain.

Naoki quickly understood. Since Mew and Teddiursa were constantly on the move as part of their Hero Expedition Team, if they had left the familiar forest, it would have been difficult for Pidgeot to track them down.

"Got it," Naoki nodded, reading Pidgeot's hesitation. "That's alright. I'd still like to ask you for a favor. You can have all these treats as your reward. Does that sound good?"

"Pidgeot!" The bird Pokémon nodded eagerly, excited at the prospect of more food.

Naoki chuckled. "Alright, wait here for a moment."

He turned and headed back into the house, retrieving a woven basket from the cupboard. Then, he filled the basket with a variety of snacks from the refrigerator. He packed soft honey buns, chewy honey gummies, and bottles of honey lemonade.

Naoki closed the lid of the basket filled with food and carried it outside to Pidgeot.

"If you can find Teddiursa and Mew, please deliver these snacks to them for me," Naoki said. "If you can't find them, feel free to enjoy them yourself."

Pidgeot tilted its head to look at the wicker basket and then nodded in understanding. The next moment, it spread its wings, grabbed the basket with its claws, and took off into the sky.

Naoki watched Pidgeot fly off, feeling a sense of appreciation. He couldn't help but think, 'Mew and Teddiursa sure have a knack for making great friends!'

He smiled to himself, wondering which Pokémon might show up next with another letter or delivery.

"I should buy a camera," Naoki thought aloud. "Maybe I can ask Pidgeot to deliver it to Teddiursa and Mew. That way, they can take pictures and send postcards back." It was a clever idea, and he made a mental note to buy a camera on his next trip to town for supplies.

Just then, Kelly arrived at the ranch, bringing the equipment needed to help reinforce the salt house. Naoki quickly went over to greet her and led her to the salt house for an inspection.

As they entered, Kelly surveyed the room. The floor of the salt house had been severely dug up by Diglett, leaving a large hole beneath it.

"Is this the Pokémon you just caught?" Kelly asked, noticing the Diglett resting in the corner.

Naoki shook his head with a grin. "Not exactly. It destroyed part of my farmland, so it's working here to pay off its debt."

Kelly chuckled in realization. "Ah, I see. I thought you had hired it to help at the ranch, like your Dragonite!"

Naoki nodded. "A lot of farmers actually work with Digletts since they're great for turning over soil for crops. But I'll leave the decision up to Diglett. I won't force any Pokémon to do something they don't want to."

Kelly gave a nod of approval.

She checked the big hole below and took out a Poké Ball.

Accompanied by a flash of white light, a Pokémon that looked like a snake, with a segmented yellow body, a blue underside, and small wings on each section, appeared in front of Naoki.

After seeing its figure clearly, Naoki was slightly surprised.

Noticing his gaze, Kelly explained with a smile, "This is Dudunsparce, the evolution of Dunsparce. It can use its strong body and burrowing skills to build underground nests. It also knows the Rock-type move Ancient Power, which helps stabilize the structure to prevent collapse. When the time comes, you'll need its help when I build the cellar for you!"

As she spoke, Kelly turned to Dudunsparce and said, "I'm counting on you!"

Dudunsparce, known for its docile nature, nodded and immediately dove into the big hole. In no time, dust flew everywhere as the soil and rocks underground were turned into powder under its efforts.

The Diglett nearby looked at the scene in amazement.

'Wow... so awesome!' it thought, but then it realized that it might not be needed anymore.

Naoki, unaware of Diglett's feelings, continued chatting with Kelly about the size of the nest.

Kelly asked, "How large a nest do you want to build?

Dudunsparce is excellent at building nests. Wild Dudunsparce can create massive underground burrows, stretching over great distances."

Naoki thought for a moment before replying, "It just needs to be big enough to accommodate five Naclstack."

"Five Naclstacks." Kelly considered their size and replied, "Got it. This construction should be finished by tomorrow. Dudunsparce will stay here for the night, and I'll come to pick it up in the morning."

"No problem, I'll take good care of Dudunsparce," Naoki said with a smile.

Kelly smiled slightly. "Then I'll leave it to you!"

She called Dudunsparce over, gave it some instructions, and then turned to leave.

Naoki saw her off from the ranch, but when he returned to the salt house, he noticed something odd—Diglett had disappeared without a trace.

He looked around, feeling a little confused.

"Diglett?" he called out, scanning the surroundings, but received no response.

"Could it have run away?" Naoki muttered, unsure what to think.

After searching around the ranch and still unable to find Diglett, Naoki sighed. It seemed their paths weren't meant to align after all.

As night began to fall, Naoki called over his four Naclstack and Nacl Pokémon, informing them that the salt house was still under construction and asking them to return to their Poké Balls for the night.

The Pokémon had no objections. After playing around outside for a bit and enjoying dinner, Naoki returned them to their Poké Balls to rest.

The wind picked up as the night grew deeper, and Naoki began to feel a bit concerned about the weather. Before heading to bed, he went outside to check on the ranch's various facilities.

He also brought a midnight snack to Dudunsparce, who was working diligently through the night to stabilize the underground nest. Naoki made sure the Pokémon had something to eat before continuing its work.

Once he was certain everything was in order, Naoki returned to his house. Feeling at peace, he hugged his soft, furry companion and drifted off to sleep.